Exercising apparatus releasably attachable in a doorway

ABSTRACT

An exercising apparatus having a support adapted for vertical mounting in a doorway or the like; a slide member received on the support for reciprocal movement therealong; a weight supported on the slide member, said slide member and weight being nonrotationally engaged with the support; and a pulley and cable mechanism mounted at the upper end of the support with the cable connected to the member for lifting and lowering the same for exercising purposes.

United States Patent 1191 [111 3,840,227

Chesemore Oct, 8, 1974 [5 EXERCISING APPARATUS RELEASABLY 3.707.285 12/1972 Martin 272/81 x ATTACHABLE IN A DOORWAY James R. Chesemore, 2535 N. Torres St. Orange, Calif. 92665 Filed: Aug. 28, 1972 Appl. No.: 284,118

Inventor:

US. Cl. 272/81 Int. Cl A63b 21/06 Field of Search 272/81, 82, 83 A, 83 R,

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3/1961 Morris 272/81 l/l972 Marcyan 272/81 Primary Examiner-Anton O. Oechsle Assistant Examiner-Joseph R. Taylor Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Huebner & Worrel 5 7] ABSTRACT An exercising apparatus having a support adapted for vertical mounting in a doorway or the like; a slide member received on the support for reciprocal movement therealong; a weight supported on the slide member, said slide member and weight being nonrotationally engaged with the support; and a pulley v and cable mechanism mounted at the upper end of the support with the cable connected to the member for lifting and lowering the same for exercising purposes.

4 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PATENTEU W 813 SNEEI 2 OF 2 EXERCISING APPARATUS RELEASABLY ATTACHABLE IN A DOORWAY BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an exercising apparatus and more particularly to such an apparatus which is of simplified construction adapted to permit mounting in a wide variety of areas for stable operational use at a minimum of expense.

There have been a wide variety of types of exercising devices utilized in the past. These may be characterized by the devices shown in the Forest US. Pat. No. 325,404; the Farley US. Pat. No. 337,942; the Murphy US. Pat. No. 372,272; the Forest US. Pat. No. 434,439; the Bryon, Jr. US. Pat. No. 776,824; the

- Thornley US. Pat. No. 848,272; the Platt US. Pat. No.

1,126,857; the Roseborough US Pat. No. 1,548,175; the Underhill US. Pat. No. 3,226,115; the LaLanne U.S. Pat. No. 3,438,627; and the Hjelte US. Pat. No. 3,526,399. If a device is to be suitable for home or office use, it must be capable of being quickly, easily and economically installed with absolute dependability. Several of the devices disclosed by these patents are adapted for mounting in a doorway so as to secure the device in position for use. While such a position is generally recognized as desirable, the devices for accomplishing such purposes have been unduly complicated, difficult to install, and time consuming to mount and remove. Several require braces and a plurality of supports to maintain the devices in secure upright positions for use. In this and other respects, the apparatus of the present invention is believed to obtain advantages not available in prior exercising devices.

Exercising devices of the type in which exercise is provided by the lifting of weights are normally cumbersome in construction. Conventionally, a plurality of braces are required to support one or more rails in vertically standing relation to provide a track for the weights. A system of cables and pulleys is normally provided for lifting and lowering the weights along the rails. Such exercising devices have prior to the present invention been excessively complicated in order to resist collapse during lifting of the weights. Some devices, such as that disclosed by the patent to Bryon, .lr. are designed to utilize an existing structure such as a doorway frame for additional structural support in order partially to eliminate some of the braces employed. However, even such devices utilize a variety of braces and vertical supports to maintain the rigid structure in fixed position during use. Where mounted in doorways, such.

prior devices do not permit the doors to be closed and interfere with passage through the doorways. If the doorway is to be used, the devices must be disassembled and removed to permit such use. Assembly and disassembly'are tedious and time consuming. Furthermore, because of the rather complicated construction of such prior devices, they are expensive to purchase and to maintain.

Therefore, it has long been recognized as desirable to have an exercising apparatus which is of simplified and inexpensive construction and which permits mounting in a doorway frame or similar structure to assist in supporting the apparatus without interfering with the normal use of the door.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the'foregoing, it is an object 'of the present invention to provide a simplified exercising apparatus which is of simplified construction. I

Another object is to provide such an apparatus which readily mounts in a doorway frame or similar structure in order to assist in supporting the apparatus in a stable, upright position for use.

Another object is to provide such an apparatus which can be mounted in a doorway frame without interfering with the normal use of the doorway and which permits closing of the door within the doorway.

Another object is to provide such an apparatus which utilizes a single vertical support simultaneously for mounting the apparatus in an upright position and for serving as a guide rail for vertical movement of the weights during operation of the apparatus.

Another object is to provide such an apparatus which is adjustable for the performance of a wide variety of types of exercising activities.

A further object is to provide such an apparatus which is inexpensive to purchase and convenient to operate.

A still further object is to provide such an apparatus which utilizes weights of such a configuration as to assist in maintaining stability of the weights during movement along the support.

Further objects and advantages are to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof in a device for the purposes described which is dependable, economical, durable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of theexercising apparatus of the present invention shown mounted in its operative environment in a doorframe.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary vertical section of the apparatus, taken on line 22 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary front elevation of the apparatus, taken at a position indicated by line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a horizontal section, taken at a position indicated by line 4--4 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a horizontal section, taken at a position indicated by line S5 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is a horizontal section, taken at a position indicated by line 6-6 of FIG. 2. i

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring more particularly to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows the simplified exercising apparatus of the present invention at :10 mounted for use in a doorframe 11, and rested on a floor 12. The doorframe defines a doorway l3 and has a door '14 mounted therein by hinges, not shown. A door jamb 15 is mounted in the frame in the conventional manner so as to act as a stop for the door.

The exercising apparatus 10 has a rest 20 of an angular configuration. The rest has an upper padded surface 21 and a lower padded surface 22 which are parallel to each other A slot or socket 23 is provided in the upper padded surface centrally of the rest. A pair of spaced ears 24 are integrally provided on the rest and extend upwardly therefrom on opposite sides of the slot. A flange 25 integral with the 1 rest extends outwardly therefrom in upwardly spaced relation to the floor. A pulley '26 is swivelly mounted thereon, as best shown in FIG. 2, by a swivel bolt 27 extended upwardly through the flange having a pair of plates 28 constituting a pulley block pivotally connected thereto and upwardly extended with the pulley rotatably mounted therebetween.

A hollow support 30 of substantially rectangular cross section having a lower end 31 and an upper end 32 is mounted in vertically standing relation with its lower end received in the socket 23 of the rest 20. The support is secured in position by a bolt assembly 33 extending through the ears 24 and the lower end of the support. The hollow support defines an internal track 34 running longitudinally through the support. The support further provides a slot 35 running longitudinally thereof in communication with the track. The slot is in a plane with the pulley 26, as shown in FIG. 6. The support is ofa length somewhat less than the height of a conventional doorframe.

A support extension 40 is telescopically fitted in the upper end 32 of the support 30 and extends upwardly therefrom. as best shown in FIG. 2. A cap 41, having a screw-threaded bore 42, is secured in the remote upper end of the extension as by a pin 43. An adjustment bolt 44 is screw-threadably received in the bore of the cap in alignment with the support for adjustable positioning longitudinally therein. A bracket 45, adapted to be fitted to the door jamb and laterally extended therefrom, is secured for rotation on the bolt for adjustment with the bolt to and form the cap.

A pulley 46 is mounted on the support at the upper end thereof partially received in slot 35 as shown in FIG. 2. As shown, the extension has a slot 47 which registers with the slot 35. As best shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, the pulley 46 is mounted on a carriage 48 and peripherally extends through the slots to a'position at which a central longitudinal axis of the support is tangential thereto. The carriage is fitted against the exterior ofthe support 30 and includes runners 49 extended through the slots 35 and 47 and slidably longitudinally thereof, and ears 50 which outwardly overlay the support on opposite sides of the slot 35. The carriage has an elongated opening 51 through which the pulley extends and on opposite sides of which flanges 52 project. The pulley is rotatably mounted on an axle 53 extended between the flanges. The carriage is releasably secured in position on the support by cap screws 54 extended through the ears and screw-threaded into screwthreaded bores 55 in the support. A multiplicity of such bores are provided and spaced longitudinally along the support so that the carriage can be mounted in selected positions along the upper end of the support. The slot 47 has an upper end 56 constituting a stop engageable with the upper end of the carriage 48 to limit slidable movement of the extension 40 downwardly in the support. Thus, adjustable positioning of the carriage on the support selectively regulates the effective overall length of the support including the extension while finer adjustments can be made by the bolt 44.

A traveler or guide shaft 57, having bushings 58 adjacent to the opposite ends thereof, is slidably received in the track 34 of the support 30. The bushings are fitted to the track 34 and slot 35, as shown in FIG. 5. A first cable 59 is extended about pulley 46, downwardly through the track of the support and attached to the shaft at connection 60. A pair of handles 61 are releasably connected to the opposite end of the cable from connection by release connection 62. As shown in dashed lines in FIG. 1, a second cable 63, having a pair of handles 64 at one end thereof, can alternately be attached to connection 62 of the first cable after the handles 61 have been removed. The second cable is then extended about pulley 26 for the performance of various alternative forms of exercising activities. It will be understood that in place of the second cable, exercising attachments such as a bar, head harness, ankle strap, and the like, not shown, can individually be attached to connection 60 in order to perform any one of a variety of types of exercising activities.

A holder or slide member 65 is slidably mounted on the support 30, as best shown in FIG. 5. The member has a central flange 66 which extends through the slot 35 of the support and into the track 34. The flange is fastened on shaft 57 below the lower bushing 58 by a pin 67 received therethrough. The member has arms 68 extending about opposite sides of the support. The member is adapted to receive in stacked relation thereon a selected number of weights 69 having central, inwardly extending slots 70. The weights are adapted to be mounted on the member with the support extending vertically through the slots of the weights, as best shown in FIG. 5. The weights have upper and lower mating surfaces 71 and 72, respec tively, which are adapted for positioning in nested relation so as to maintain the weights stacked on the member in stable, upright relation. It will be apparent that it is highly desirable to resist rotation of the slide member 65 and weights 69 on the single support 30. This is dependably achieved by employing a support which is of polygonal cross section, or of any other cross section other than one of revolution, fitting the bushings 58 to the interior of the support and mounting the slide member on the shaft57 by means of the pin 67.

OPERATION The operation of the described embodiment of the subject invention is believed to be clearly apparent and is briefly summarized at this point. In the above described assembled configuration, the simplified exercising apparatus 10 can be mounted in any convenient position for use. This may include mounting on a wall, wall recess, or in a closet, using bolts, not shown, or mounting in a room between floor and ceiling. However, for illustrative convenience and because of the particular advantages involved, the apparatus has been shown in the drawings and described for use mounted in a doorway 13. In such a configuration, the rest 20 is positioned with its lower padded surface 22 on the floor 12 within the doorway 13, preferably closely adjacent to the hinges of the doorframe 11. The support 30 is thus positioned in vertical standing relation on the rest and within the doorway. The adjustment bolt 44 is then screw-threadably adjusted to the height of the doorway to position the bracket 45 in secure overlapping engagement with the door jamb 15, as best shown in FIG. 2. If the height of the door is out of the range of the adjustment bolt, the carriage 48 is raised or lowered so that by engagement of the stop 54 with the carriage, the extension 40, cap 41, and bolt 44 are raised or lowered to obtain the proper range. The bolt is tightened so that the support is quite firmly held between the floor 12 and doorframe 11. With the support so secured, the apparatus is quite stable so as to permit varied exercising activities in which stress is placed on the apparatus without danger of collapse.

In one configuration, the pair of handles 61 are attached by release connection 62 to the first cable 59. A selected number of weights 69 corresponding to the desired amount of weight to be lifted for exercise purposes is then positioned in stacked relation on the slide member 65. The weights are positioned, as shown in FIG. 2, so that the upper and lower mating surfaces 71 and 72 of the weights are in nesting relation. At this point, the slide member is resting on the upper padded surface 21 of the rest 20. The handles are subsequently grasped in the conventional manner and used to raise the weights against gravitational resistance along the support 30 in successive actions for purposes of exercise. This causes the cable to be pulled about the pulley 46 and the guide shaft 57 and its associated bushings 58 to slide upwardly in the track 34 of the support. The slide member attached to the lower end of the shaft thus moves upwardly along the support carrying the weights thereon. The bushings insure that such movement is smooth and stable by virtue of their fitted engagement in the track and slot 35. Any additional tendency of the weights toward rotation or oscillation during movement upwardly along the support is dampened by the contact of the weights with the support due to the positioning of the support within the slots 70 of the weights. The exercising is, of course, continued as long as desired.

The apparatus can be modified to permit a variety of types of exercising activities. One such modification is accomplished by removing the pair of handles 61 from the release connection 62 of the first cable 59. The second cable 63 is attached to the release connection and extended about pulley 26 so as to permit lifting of the weights 69 in a different manner using the pair of handles 57. The apparatus can also be modified by attachment of any one of a wide variety of exercising attachments such as a bar, head harness, ankle strap and the like to the release connection.

When the apparatus 10 is mounted in the doorway 13 as described, the door 14 can be used in the normal manner without hindrance from the apparatus. Thus, the door can be closed against the door jamb 15 as shown in FIG. 2, leaving the apparatus fully operable. If the apparatus is mounted in the doorway adjacent to the hinges of the door, as preferred, passage through the doorway is unhindered.

Because of the use of the bushings 58 within the track 34 of the support and the use of slotted weights 69 about the rectangular support, movement of the weights is quite stable with a minimum of bothersome noise due to the contact of metal surfaces. Similarly, wearing of the apparatus as a result of metal to metal contact is minimized. The use of a doorframe in combination with a support which acts simultaneously as a track for movement of the weights during operation makes possible an apparatus of extremely simplified construction. The apparatus is therefore easy to assemble and disassemble and inexpensive to purchase. Furthermore, the apparatus can be disassembled for storage in a confined area by removal of the bolt assembly 33 to allow the support to be withdrawn from the slot 23 of the rest 20.

Although the invention has been herein shown and described in what is conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention, which is not to be limited to the illustrative details disclosed.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A simplified exercising apparatus for releasable attachment in doorways and the like comprising a rest; a rigid support of angular cross section mounted on the rest and having a remote portion of adjustable length for extensible mounting of the support in an upright position on the rest in a doorway, or the like; a first pulley mounted adjacent to the remote portion of the support; a cable extending about the pulley and toward the rest; a holder slidably mounted on the support and connected to the cable, and said holder being adapted to carry a selected number of weights, having slots therein, in stacked relation thereon so as to fit about the support for stable elevational movement therealong supported on the holder upon the application of force to the cable and about the pulley; and a bracket mounted on the remote portion of the support, said bracket being bent for fitted engagement with a door jamb upon adjustment of the length of the remote portion to secure the support in a doorway while permitting the door to be closed within the doorway.

2. An exercising apparatus adapted to be mounted in a doorway or the like comprising an elongated telescopically adjustable support, said support having a tubular lower portion and an upper extension telescopically mounted in the lower portion and having a downwardly disposed stop; means for longitudinally extending the support for rigid mounting thereof in an upright position in a doorway or the like; means slidably mounted for elevational reciprocal movement on the support, said means and the support being of mated configuration to preclude relative rotational movement thereof; a carriage having a pulley mounted therein; means for mounting the carriage with the pulley in selected elevational positions along the support, the carriage being disposed for engagement with the stop to limit downward movement of the extension in the lower portion of the support; and a cable connected to the slidably mounted means and passed upwardly over the pulley adapted to raise said means when tensioned.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 in which the means for extending the support includes a bolt screw-threadably mounted in the upper end of theextension in alignment with the support rotatable to make fine adjustments of the overall effective length of the support.

4. In combination with a door frame having a door jamb and a door mounted in the frame for movement to and from said jamb, an exercising apparatus com prising an elongated support of angular cross section having opposite ends; a member slidably engaging the support in nonrotational relation, said member being adapted gravitationally to support a weight thereon; a rest secured on one end of the support; a pulley fastened on the support adjacent to the end thereof opposite to the rest; a weight raising cable connected to the member and extended about the pulley; and a bracket mounted on the end of the support adjacent to the pulley extending laterally from said support in a direction substantially opposite to that of the pulley for releasable fitted engagement with the door jamb in noninter fering relation to the door to secure the support in erect position in the doorway on the opposite side of the jamb from the door whereby the door can be closed without removing said apparatus. 

1. A simplified exercising apparatus for releasable attachment in doorways and the like comprising a rest; a rigid support of angular cross section mounted on the rest and having a remote portion of adjustable length for extensible mounting of the support in an upright position on the rest in a doorway, or the like; a first pulley mounted adjacent to the remote portion of the support; a cable extending about the pulley and toward the rest; a holder slidably mounted on the support and connected to the cable, and said holder being adapted to carry a selected number of weights, having slots therein, in stacked relation thereon so as to fit about the support for stable elevational movement therealong supported on the holder upon the application of force to the cable and about the pulley; and a bracket mounted on the remote portion of the support, said bracket being bent for fitted engagement with a door jamb upon adjustment of the length of the remote portion to secure the support in a doorway while permitting the door to be closed within the doorway.
 2. An exercising apparatus adapted to be mounted in a doorway or the like comprising an elongated telescopically adjustable support, said support having a tubular lower portion and an upper extension telescopically mounted in the lower portion and having a downwardly disposed stop; means for longitudinally extending the support for rigid mounting thereof in an upright position in a doorway or the like; means slidably mounted for elevational reciprocal movement on the support, said means and the support being of mated configuration to preclude relative rotational movement thereof; a carriage having a pulley mounted therein; means for mounting the carriage with the pulley in selected elevational positions along the support, the carriage being disposed for engagement with the stop to limit downward movement of the extension in the loWer portion of the support; and a cable connected to the slidably mounted means and passed upwardly over the pulley adapted to raise said means when tensioned.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2 in which the means for extending the support includes a bolt screw-threadably mounted in the upper end of the extension in alignment with the support rotatable to make fine adjustments of the overall effective length of the support.
 4. In combination with a door frame having a door jamb and a door mounted in the frame for movement to and from said jamb, an exercising apparatus comprising an elongated support of angular cross section having opposite ends; a member slidably engaging the support in nonrotational relation, said member being adapted gravitationally to support a weight thereon; a rest secured on one end of the support; a pulley fastened on the support adjacent to the end thereof opposite to the rest; a weight raising cable connected to the member and extended about the pulley; and a bracket mounted on the end of the support adjacent to the pulley extending laterally from said support in a direction substantially opposite to that of the pulley for releasable fitted engagement with the door jamb in noninterfering relation to the door to secure the support in erect position in the doorway on the opposite side of the jamb from the door whereby the door can be closed without removing said apparatus. 